11 April is the Day of Poetry in Hungary, to remember Attila József, one of our greatest poet. On this occasion, we recommend a café house, Café Hadik in Budapest, a place where the spirit of literature lingers on – and is paired with great cuisine and wine list.
Attila József was taught to be the poet of the communism, but his poetry has been re-evalauted by now. A sensitive man with great knowledge, and unfortunately with sympthoms of schizophrenia which led to his suicide as early as the age of 32, though some say that his death was an accident.
How fast does a joke spread? Science in the café…
Hadik, the 100 year old café house in Buda side of Budapest was closed for decades, but finally it was renovated and opened again in 2010. This summer the café was closed again to get some ’facelifting’, and now it shines again in its highest glamour.
The café was the favourite spot of several poets in the early 20th century, sometimes more than twenty of them gathered around the table. Frigyes Karinthy playwright and poet was one of them. He is said to once have measured how fast a joke spreads in the capital: he made up a joke in café Hadik, paid his coffée and left to another café called Centrál, which is situated in Pest. One and a half hours later he was told the same joke in Café Central…
Hadik aims to be a vivid centre of those who love poetry of any form. They often organize literary programs as well as music nights (every Monday is dedicated to jazz). Today a young band called Hangember will perform their best songs. The word hangember is literally ’sound man’, a slang word for someone who does not act, only speaks about things, though in case of this band it is rather a ’new, fresh sound of mankind’ since the band writes songs of poems by contemporary poets.
Hadik – contemporary cuisine, stunning wines
As an example of Hadik kitchen, here is a recipe of them: Duck trilogy with red cabbage cream and cherries. Ingredients:
4 duck legs
duck fat
garlic
rosemary
4 kilo duck breast
1 kilo duck liver
2 red cabbages
6 kilo onions
4 kilo sugar
10 cl vinegar
1 l red wine
6 l cream
20 cl Amaretto
1 kilo butter
1 kilo potatoes
salt, pepper
groung caraways seeds
Egri Kékfrankos 2014
Preparation
Confit the duck legs in duck fat at 65 C° for 2 hours, then roast them at high temperature until the skins get crispy.
Fry the duck breasts in a saucepan with rosemary and garlic, then place in the oven for 20 minutes at medium temperature to finish.
Bake the liver with some salt and pepper for 1 hour in the oven at 60 C°. Then mix it in a blender with boiled amaretto liqueur and cream. Whisk it untly hard.
Cook the potatoes, mash them then mix the mashed potatoes with rosemary and some fried onion.
Fry some more onion. Cut the cabbages into stripes and fry them on the onion. Add some sugar, the vinegar and some water and boil it until the cabbage gets tender. Mix it in a blender with some cream.
Cook the red wine with sugar until it is reduced to the third, and cook the cherries for a while.
Place the three duck dishes on a plate with a portion of mashed potatoes, some cabbage cream and cherries.
Enjoy the complex food with a glass of fruity Kékfrankos!
Wine recommendation
Egri Kékfrankos by Egri Borvár Lilac colour with powerful sour cherry and raspberry nose. Substantial, medium bodied red wine with nice fruits. Good structure, relatively long aftertaste. Both in aroma and taste a harmonious and rounded wine.
Hangember concert tonight at 7 pm in Hadik Kávéház
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